Branded Variety
by snowflke
Summary: What would it be like if Yamato was a priest and Taichi was a pirate? O.o I bet you've never thought of that.
1. Of dreams and storms

**Branded variety**

**Summary: **What would it be like if Yamato was a priest and Taichi was a pirate? O.o

**AN: **It's cheesy, it's fluffy, it's silly, it's romantic… it's TAITO!

I got this sudden idea in my head and HAD to write it down. It's written quickly and not Beta'd, but whatver.

Might have slight OOC:ness but I've tried to do this properly. It's only first chapter though. (I completely made up the title, I have no idea if you can put those words

together. But hey, it's my story, I decide what it'll be called).

**Warnings: **Gayness, violence, language

Chapter 1: Of dreams and storms

* * *

_There was __the kind of freshness in the air that could only mean early summer. The flowers in the cherry blossom trees made the slope look like a pink carpet, descending from the road where the young man was standing. A small river twisted through the emerald grass in the valley, and beyond that, the snowy mountains of the South reached towards a heaven so brilliantly blue that tears stung in the watcher's equally blue eyes. Eastwards, a thick forest made its way towards the ocean hidden behind steep hills. Birds sang and butterflies fluttered in the light of the setting sun. Somewhere in the valley below, a wild horse called for its comrades to join him, and they bolted through the valley, joy of living embodied. _

_Gathering his white robes, the young man tore his eyes away from the stunning view. No matter how much he wanted to stay here, he had to return to the Temple. As he turned to follow the dusty road the light of the sun made his hair glow like gold, and it was like this, with the sunlight caressing his every feature, dressed in white, blue eyes competing with the sky, that Taichi Yagami saw Yamato Ishida for the first time._

* * *

As Yamato prepared himself to continue the long walk back to the temple, there was a sudden sound behind him. He turned around quickly, prepared for the worst. One could never be too careful nowadays. Many were the young men who had went out for a walk on their own and never returned. Thieves haunted these beautiful lands. And from the eastern sea, pirates attacked the cities mercilessly.

The man standing in front of him was nothing like he'd expected. The first thing Yamato noticed was his hair; almost gravity defying in the way it stood out from his head. But it had a nice chocolate colour that went nicely with his warm brown eyes and tanned skin. He had the body of someone who runs and works a lot. His pants were torn and patched and the white coarse shirt was unbelievably dirty. His leather boots had obviously seen better days and so had the bundle hanging carelessly over his right shoulder. His ears were pierced and his arms were adorned with tattoos and scars. Around his neck hung a bracelet made of sharp animal's teeth.

Yamato struggled to take the image in. For a boy like him, who had lived his entire life in a Temple where his only company was other boys just like himself, and his only trips to the city were made in a carriage with soldiers keeping the mob away from him, this was astonishing. The young man – probably in Yamato's age – smiled with surprisingly white teeth, and there was indeed something ruggedly handsome about him.

'_He's a pirate.'_

The thought appeared in his head quite suddenly, and he slowly grasped the short knife attached to his belt, thinking that if this person indeed showed to be dangerous, then at least he would get the chance to slit his throat if he came close. The man with the chocolate eyes smiled wider when he saw the small knife and gestured at the sword that hung from his hip. Feeling rather defenceless, Yamato started to back away, inwardly cursing for not having listened to the warnings about thieves and pirates. '_If I survive, I will never leave the Temple again' _he desperately promised himself as the other man approached him.

He wasn't prepared for what happened next.

"Hi there. I'm Taichi. Relax, man, I'm not gonna attack you or whatever."

A tanned callused hand adorned with several rings was offered to him. Perplexed, he shook it.

"I… um… I'm Yamato."

"Nice to meet you, Yamato", Taichi smiled.

Who was this person? Yamato couldn't for his life connect Taichi to the stories about ravaging pirates. And yet there he stood, the skull and the snake – the King's mark for piracy – burnt into the skin on his right arm.

"So, forgive me for not minding my own business, but what are you doing so far from the teple?" Taichi asked. "You could be attacked, you know."

"Yes, I know" Yamato answered, fully aware of the fact that Taichi knew that he was still afraid of him. "I was actually on my was home. I think I should continue on. It was nice meeting you, goodbye."

He began marching along the road which clung to the mountainside. On the right side, the land sloped down towards the valley. On the left side, the ground was made out of sharp rocks and grass, and the land was climbing towards the top of the mountain where the Temple of the Lords stood in all its glory.

The sound of footsteps behind him made Yamato turn around. Taichi was strolling peacefully along the road, admiring the view. He frowned at Yamato.

"What's up?" he asked innocently.

"You know what's up", Yamato answered, blushing slightly, angry with the stranger for making him feel so vulnerable and weak.

"No I don't" Taichi said calmly and stopped in front of the blond. "Maybe you can enlighten me?"

Yamato took a deep breath, trying to calm down. There was no need to get upset. This was just an ordinary person who was making his way home, just like Yamato himself. An ordinary _pirate_, to be more precise. '_Dearest Lords, help me'_, he thought desperately. '_Don't let him kill me.'_

"People like you and people like me don't just run into each other and say 'hello'", Yamato said, trying his best not to sound frightened. "In fact, people like me run away from people like you, or worse, get killed by people like you. And people like you get sentenced to death by people like me."

Taichi merely shrugged.

"Don't get yourself so worked up. I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm on my way home just like you. But if it makes you feel better, maybe I should go first."

"Yes please."

Yamato still had his suspicions, but Taichi gave him a friendly smile and a wave before he disappeared.

Not many exciting things happened in the blond's everyday life, and even though he'd been scared, he felt more alive as he walked towards the Teplme than he had felt in a very very long time.

* * *

"Yamato, wake up!"

The call startled him, and he fell out of his bed with an un-characteristical clumsiness. Getting up from the floor, he mentally cursed the night. He'd been having constant dreams about the chocolate-eyed young pirate, Taichi. He couldn't remember most of them, and the ones he did remember were too embarrassing to even think about in broad daylight.

Yes, Yamato was homosexual, as were all of the other men serving the Lords. This was what they were brought up to be, male lovers for male Gods, and the women in the Temple were seen as sisters and never more.

The more Yamato thought about him, the more stunning did he find the brunette he'd met the day before. This disturbed him a lot considering how dangerous the man might be. It also disturbed him because he would probably never see him again, if not to sentence him to death for piracy.

The priests at the Temple were the ones who made all the juridical decisions in the country. They were the priests and the law, and the only persons above them on the social ladder were the royal family. They were admired, lusted for and feared by a whole nation. Among the people living on the countryside, people who had never seen a priest of the Temple for real, there were stories and myths about them that gave them almost god status.

And still, this young pirate, probably not even 20 years old yet, had shook Yamato's hand as if he'd met an ordinary farmer. This puzzled him.

But before he could start pondering the strange behaviour of Taichi, the door to his room opened. A beautiful young girl, with slender legs and a perfect complexion, entered the room.

"Yamato! Didn't you hear me? I've been calling for ages!"

"I'm sorry Mimi" he said and offered her a sheepish smile.

She laughed and threw his clean robes to him.

"Come on, get dressed, I'm hungry!"

Mimi was Yamato's maid. She'd been sold to the High Priests when she was just a child, about the same time as Yamato arrived, and they had grown up together. She was more like a friend than a servant, and he was glad to have her.

When he'd finished putting his white robes on, they exited the room. The hallway was pretty empty as they made their way outside. The garden was filled with white-robed priests, sitting in the grass under the apple trees or on the stones by the pond. Some were feeding the birds leftovers from breakfast, some were playing instruments or singing, and some were reading or talking. It was all very peaceful.

Yamato usually loved the Temple for its peace and cleanness, but today it felt a bit too peaceful. A certain brunette repeatedly interrupted his thoughts, and he couldn't enjoy his meal but kept thinking about the intriguing stranger. Seeing as this was the first exciting think ever to happen to him, he was entitled to be slightly obsessed with it, he reasoned.

He'd told his closest friends about the encounter the night before. Among them were his own brother, Takeru, a blue haired boy named Ken, and Koushiro, usually referred to as Izzy. They were all worried, pleading him to stop his daily walks outside the Temple grounds. But Yamato refused. Partly because he would hate to feel like a prisoner inside the Temple, and partly because he wanted to see Taichi again.

He was not in love. That was for sure. Even though he knew that he thought about the brunette far more than he should've, he did it only because he was curious about him. Those dreams were probably only a reaction to his very stunning appearance, Yamato told himself. But he wanted badly to talk to this person.

The only people Yamato met were the priests and the servants of the Temple. There was nothing wrong with them, not at all, but they were all the same. They were hardly ever agitated, angry, excited or thrilled. They were raised to be composed and posses an enormous self-control. Taichi had expressed more feelings in the two minutes they'd talked than he'd seen his friends express during the last year.

* * *

Despite being told not to do it every now and then, Yamato kept his habit of walking outside the Temple. But as the weeks passed by, he slowly lost hope of meeting the young pirate again.

One afternoon, he went out even though thunder roared in the distance and the sky was dark. He wasn't going to walk very far, he'd probably make it back before the storm hit him. He walked past a few farms and then reached the forest that grew on the mountainside. The slope was not steep at all – almost not noticeable - as the mountain was of the rather flat kind.

The trees were a pure emerald green this time between spring and summer. He walked slowly, feeling the air thicken as the thunder drew nearer, smelling the trees and the dirt under his feet and the rain that approached.

As he was about to turn around and return to the Temple as a movement caught his eyes.

He forgot about time and space as he watched the hind grace, completely unaware of the human lurking among the undergrowth. Taichi. He was so still, like a statue, and Yamato didn't complain about the opportunity to stare at him. He looked just as he remembered him, maybe a bit thinner and more tired though.

Suddenly, the hind lifted its head, blinked, and graciously bolted away. Taichi growled in frustration and stood up, and it was only then that he noticed the blonde.

"Oh… hey", he said, obviously a bit perplexed.

"Hi", Yamato said with an embarrassingly squeaky voice. "I'm… I'm so sorry if I scared away your dinner."

"Nah, it was probably the storm that scared her. Doesn't matter. I'll survive."

He grinned as he joined Yamato on the road, and as he got closer the priest could see how thin he actually looked. He must be starving.

"So… Yamato, right? Why are you out on your own in the middle of the forest when there's a storm on its way?" Taichi asked curiously.

"Well… I wanted to go for a walk is all" he answered.

"In a storm?"

He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, reminding Yamato a lot of Takeru when he was sceptical.

"Yeah."

"Oh. Okay."

He didn't say anything else, just looked at Yamato with his kind brown eyes.

After a few seconds that felt like hours, Yamato couldn't hold back any more.

"Don't you know who I am?" he asked, sounding angrier than he'd meant to.

Taichi didn't flinch.

"You're a priest."

"Then why don't you treat me like one?"

This time he said it calmly, not accusing but merely inquiring.

The brunette thought about it for a few seconds before answering.

"Because beneath those robes you're probably just as human as I am."

Good answer. Yamato pondered his next question.

"But don't you realise I could have you hanging by your neck by this time tomorrow? I've seen your brand, you know, I know what you are."

He didn't flinch this time either.

"You wouldn't."

"How do you know that?"

"I just know."

He didn't elaborate and Yamato didn't know what to say. Could it be this simple?

Somehow, knowing that he thought of him as a person and not like some sort of god made the blonde relieved. He used to hate it when people looked at him as if he was one of the Lords impersonated. Sure, he was their voice on earth, but he was more of a medium than anything else.

A sudden flash, lighting up the forest, made them both jump. The thunder wasn't far behind and with the sound came the rain. One moment, there was nothing, and the next it felt like they were standing in a waterfall.

"Shit!" Taichi exclaimed.

Yamato had grown up in the Temple and this was actually the first time hed ever heard someone say such a thing. He was shocked.

"We need to find some cover" Taichi yelled over the sound of the rain and the thunder that just kept rumbling.

"I should get home" Yamato all but yelled back.

"No way, it's dangerous. There'll be landslides and you'll probably get hit by lightning or something. Come with me, I know an abandoned barn not far away."

He hesitated. On one hand, he could try to get home, all alone in the storm. On the other hand, he could get to safety but be accompanied by a possibly dangerous pirate. However, the storm seemed more threatening than Taichi, and so he agreed to come with him. As they ran through the forest, IYamato knew deep inside that his life was probably about to take a turn he couldn't quite predict or comprehend but none the less feared and welcomed.

That's all for now. What do you think? Review pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease )


	2. Of tales and biology

**Branded variety**

**Summary: **What would it be like if Yamato was a priest and Taichi was a pirate? O.o

**AN: **It's cheesy, it's fluffy, it's silly, it's romantic… it's TAITO!

Well, I know that Yama's waaaay OOC, but whatever. He's confused, okay? P

**Warnings: **Gayness, violence, language

Chapter 2: Of tales and biology

* * *

The rain mercilessly poured down upon the lands. Between the ocean in the east and the deep dark forests of the west, between the majestic mountains guarding the northern and the southern borders of the country, water fell from the sky as if the end of the world was far closer than anyone had ever expected. Lightning struck trees and buildings, causing raging fires that, despite the furious rain, threatened whole villages and lit up even the darkest of corners. The peasants hurried home and locked themselves and their families up indoors, watching as their crops got drowned by the rain or burned by the fires. Thunder made teeth clatter and hearts skip a beat as they all waited for either the end of the storm or the end of their own lives.

These summer storms were feared by many; they usually caused floods, fires and great landslides. The people of the villages paid attention to every gust of wind and every drop of rain, knowing that a landslide would probably kill them all any moment. In the cities, where the houses were made out of stone and where the ground was more solid, the inhabitants calmly, although slightly annoyed, watched the downpour and listened to the thunder. Older relatives told their children and grandchildren about other storms, about nights of fear a long time ago. Those who lived in the capitol, the seaport called Tallon, anxiously watched as the ocean level raised – floods were common, and when it happened, the only thing one could do was to leave the city and try to reach the Temple on the mountain that could barely be seen from the city through the curtain of rain. The priests of said Temple performed holy rites to make the Lords stop the rain. They also began looking for a certain blond priest who was reported missing.

The old barn was barely worthy of being called a building. It only had three walls and the roof was on the verge of falling in. But it was a shelter none the less, the roof could still keep the wet away, and Taichi led Yamato into the semi-darkness inside. They sat down on the old hay, the only sound interfering with the thunder and the rain against the roof being the rustle when mice moved away from the humans through the hay.

Yamato watched Taichi as he lay down on his back with his hands behind his head. Drops of water hung in his hair and his clothes clung to his skin. Yamato could feel the wetness of his own clothes and shuddered.

"I guess the rain won't stop 'til tomorrow" Taichi mumbled. "It would probably be wisest to wait it out in here."

"Tomorrow?" Yamato echoed. "I can't be gone all night; they'll start looking for me any minute now!"

"Well, you're free to leave, it's not like I'm gonna stop you", Taichi said calmly, his eyes closed and his voice a bit drowsy.

"Are you going to fall asleep now?" Yamato asked angrily.

The brunette opened one eye and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"Yeah. Unless you have a better idea. We're gonna be trapped in here for quite a while."

"Talk to me."

Yamato realised a bit too late that it was said with the usual priest voice; it was a demand rather than a question. Taichi raised his eyebrows and looked at the blonde with a mix of amusement and annoyance.

"And what would you want me to talk about, Your Highness?" he asked politely, acid in his voice.

"No, I didn't mean it like that", Yamato protested. "I meant… well, would you please talk to me? I've… um… I've never met a… I've never met anyone like you before."

"Like me?"

"Yeah, you know… someone who doesn't live in the Temple."

"Are you serious?"

"Huh?"

"You've actually never met real people before?"

"As far as I'm concerned, my kind of people _are_ the real people," Yamato all but snorted, not particularly pleased with Taichi's way of making him feel like an idiot.

"Really."

Taichi was obviously very amused by this, but Yamato didn't feel like discussing the matter further. He had more interesting things to ask the brunette.

"So… you're a real pirate, aren't you?" he asked, trying to sound politely curious.

"A _real_ pirate?" Taichi said with a laugh. "What else would I be? A fake pirate? You're the weirdest dude I've met in ages."

Yamato didn't really like being called a 'weird dude'. He was used to being called a god, a prince, a beauty, an angel, a being as close to perfection as humanly possible, anything along that line. Not a 'weird dude'.

It was harder to communicate with this person than he'd initially thought, and he begun to regret his decision to follow him here. There had to be a reason why he'd been raised inside the Temple and not allowed to go outside; people in the outside world were obviously not on the same level of intelligence as the priests. Taichi used all kinds of forbidden words that Yamato had never heard before, he was covered in dust, his clothes were dirty, he didn't seem very intelligent at all… what a shame that he was so beautiful, Yamato thought as he stared at Taichi.

"Yes, I'm a 'real' pirate", Taichi said, forcing Yamato back to reality.

"But… If you're a pirate, then why are you here? Shouldn't you live on a boat or something?"

Taichi sighed.

"Long story."

"We've got a few hours ahead of us", Yamato said eagerly, excited about hearing a true story from the world outside the Temple.

There were lots of books in the Temple, some of them filled with stories about adventures. But this was different. This was something that had happened to someone for real, and Yamato didn't care if it was the most tedious story ever told, because at least it would be true. He also didn't care about the fact that he'd just recently thought of Taichi as rather stupid – there was something about the young man that intrigued him and he desperately wanted to know more about him.

"Well, if you really want to know…" Taichi said slowly and laughed at Yamato's eager nods. "Just don't feel sorry for me or anything, okay? It may seem like quite a sad story, but it's really not."

Yamato nodded again.

"Okay then."

Taichi stared out into space for a few moments, probably thinking about how to phrase himself.

"I was born in Tallon, in the slum area, so to say. My mother sold fish at the market and I never met my father. I have six older brothers and one younger sister, and it was tough growing up like that. There was barely any food at all; you had to fight to get your share. But it was never enough and we soon had to start stealing food. All the kids in the neighbourhood did that; it was natural to us."

Taichi stopped as he saw Yamato's shocked face.

"You started stealing when you were just a kid?" he asked, bewildered.

"Well, I had to eat, right?"

"Yeah, but… why didn't your mother give you food?"

"She didn't have any."

"But why didn't she buy you food?"

Taichi sighed.

"You don't know shit about the real world, do you?"

Yamato snorted but Taichi didn't give him a chance to speak.

"People are poor, Yamato. Lots of people in Tallon can barely afford to feed their kids. And my mother was of the poorest kind."

Yamato just shook his head. He never knew. He'd grown up with unlimited amounts of food and clothes and books and everything. He hadn't for a second thought about what it would be like to be poor.

"But why didn't you get a job?" he asked.

"I did. When I was eight years old, I got caught while stealing a loaf of bread. The baker beat me up and told me he'd kill me if he ever saw me again. Unfortunately, I told my mother about it, and she knew who he was and told me that he was serious and probably would kill me. She didn't want me to die of course so she forced me to enrol as a seaman on one of the ships in the harbour. It was one of the ships involved in foreign trade, transporting rocks to Carta."

Carta was an island (or more like a huge heap of sand) a few weeks' journey away from Tallon, populated by a tribe of arrogant and insanely rich people who thought they were too important to mix with ordinary people. Since there were no natural resources on the island, they bought everything they needed from Tallon, the closest seaport. This included huge rocks to build houses of.

Yamato had heard of those rock-ships; the crew had to carry ridiculous amounts of rocks aboard the ships and then unload it when they arrived in Carta. There was a discussion going on among the priests if they should make a law that would forbid this, as two thirds of the crew died of overexertion during their first year.

"How did you survive if you were just a kid?" he asked with wide eyes.

"Well, they gave me an introductory period, so to speak."

"But still…"

"Well, at least it taught me humility. It's not easy to be cocky and self-assured while carrying around a rock that could easily crush you."

Yamato felt tears stinging in his eyes and angrily blinked them away. He didn't want to cry in front of Taichi. But he felt so sorry for the eight-year-old Taichi who'd been forced to work so hard. When Yamato was eight, he played with his friends, ate delicious food, read books and was taught to play the flute.

"Well, anyways, when I was thirteen, I finally quit."

"You worked there for five years?"

"Yeah, that was the deal. I went back to the place where we used to live, but it was empty. I had no idea where my family was, and I still don't know. I've been trying to find them, but…" he trailed off.

Yamato once again had to blink away his tears, reminding himself that he had promised not to feel sorry for the brunette.

"I didn't really know what to do. I didn't want to go back to the ship, but that was really all I knew – it was the only kind of work I could get. I spent a few weeks hiding in this very barn."

"Really?" Yamato asked, leaning forward so that he wouldn't miss a word of the story.

"Yeah. But I had no money and no food, so I decided to return to the harbour. I'd rather die in ten years from overexertion than die that very week from starvation. But as I arrived at the harbour, there was a certain ship that caught my attention. I'd never seen it before; it was large and almost black and people seemed to avoid it. But one of the men guarding the gangway was playing with a gold coin, and that was what made me make my decision. So I approached the ship and told the guy that I wanted to enrol. He laughed at me and asked me if I knew what kind of ship it was. I said that I didn't care as long as it wasn't a rock-ship, 'cause I was sick and tired of those. This caught his attention for some reason and he led me to the captain, John Hammer. When I met him, I realised right away that I was dealing with pirates. Hammer is one of the most notorious pirate captains of the seas. There is no man who can scare you with just one glance as Hammer can."

Yamato had actually heard of the feared captain Hammer. He was said to be a cruel man, a skilful fighter, a vicious enemy and an amazing sailor. No one could catch up with his ship.

"I had my doubts about joining a pirate crew, but I needed money and I'd been stealing my whole life so that part didn't really bother me. For some reason, I got along very well with Hammer, and he became a substitute father for me, sort of. I've been sailing with him ever since. That's almost seven years."

"But what are you doing here?" Yamato asked.

"I actually thought you would figure that out. It is your fault after all."

When he saw Yamato's perplexed face, he explained further.

"Well, maybe not _your_ fault. But the priests' fault. As you should know, they've ordered the King's fleet to increase Tallon's naval protection for the next few months because of the prince's wedding. Obviously they think that the risk of being attacked is tenfold bigger just because that snob found himself a wife at last. However, we can't make port right now. Me and a few others took one of the small rowing boats and managed to get ashore. We're hiding a few kilometres away from here. I was supposed to get us some dinner, since we've ran out of money. We've been close to starvation for a few days now."

"But why are you here? Why didn't you just stay on the ship, or make port somewhere else?" Yamato asked, ignoring the feeling of guilt that nestled itself in his chest.

He'd never ever thought of pirates and other criminals as people. During all the hangings he'd visited, all the decapitations and tortures, he'd never thought of the reason why someone committed a crime. He just thought that some people were evil. But now, once he'd heard the young pirate's tale, he begun to think of all the fathers who'd been stealing food for their starving children and therefore had had their arm amputated. He thought of the ones who couldn't get jobs and had to steal to survive and were hanged for that.

At the same time, he was more than convinced that many of these felons deserved their punishment. They stole because they were lazy or greedy, and they were rightfully tortured and branded as thieves.

Suddenly, something that had been in the back of Yamato's head ever since he met Taichi reached his consciousness.

"You're branded!" he suddenly spat out.

Taichi merely stared at him.

"Yeah, I'm aware of that. Besides, you've already pointed it out several times. Why so surprised all of a sudden?"

"Because… because to get branded, you have to get caught. And if you're a convicted pirate, you either get killed or mutilated."

Taichi made an undistinguishable noise that could have meant just about anything.

"But you're neither!" Yamato exclaimed, and the statement was followed by particularly loud thunder.

Taichi hummed again, eyes closed and chest heaving slightly with every breath. The air smelled of hay and with every flash of lightning one could see the millions of specks of dust in the air. But otherwise, the light was dim despite the earliness of the evening. Yamato stared at the tired young man, who was obviously exhausted from starvation and exertion, and for the first time in his life, he felt something warm starting to glow inside his chest. It wasn't desire – he'd felt that a million times. No, this was something else. It was an urge to protect the brunette, strange as it may seem, for he didn't look like he needed protection. It was a fondness Yamato had never experienced before, he felt like he could just sit here and look at him for hours, that no matter what Taichi said or did, he would never think less of him because he suddenly admired him so much.

Yamato liked this feeling a lot, but he still tried to knock some sense into himself. He didn't know this person. He couldn't feel all those things about someone he'd only met twice.

Pushing thoughts like wanting to hug and comfort Taichi into the back of his mind, Yamato spoke up again.

"What happened?"

Taichi opened one eye and looked at him with slight annoyance.

"Now, that's none of your business. Let's sleep."

And with those words, he closed his eyes again and went quiet.

Yamato kept staring at him for a while, while listening to the thunder and watching the water flood by just outside the barn which, miraculously enough, was still dry and comfortable.

As he spotted a bush he recognised, he smiled to himself and stood up. He'd been raised in the Temple, but that didn't mean he was uneducated. On the contrary; he'd had a very thorough education and one of his favourite subjects besides music had always been biology. He'd gotten use of his knowledge about edible plants during his daily walks in the forest.

He gathered his robes and swiftly ran across the temporary brook where the path had been earlier. He reached the bush and started to collect the leaves, which were large and thick and juicy despite their modest appearance. As he looked around, he spotted other edible plants, and soon he had his arms full. He quickly made his way back to the barn and dumped the food close to Taichi's head. The young pirate woke up immediately with a confused look on his face, which only deepened as he realised that there was a heap of leaves, mushrooms, berries and roots next to his head.

"What's this?" he asked suspiciously, slowly sitting up.

"It's food", Yamato explained and started chewing on a leaf. "Try some."

Taichi looked very sceptical and Yamato made the conclusion that pirates probably didn't eat that much vegetables. However, a starving man has never denied food, and neither did Taichi. Within minutes, it was all gone.

"I never knew you could eat weed", Taichi said and lay down with a sigh of content.

"It's not weed, it's…"

"I don't give a shit about what it is, as long as it's edible", Taichi interrupted.

Beginning to get used to the foul language, Yamato didn't even flinch. But that might also have been because of the wetness of his clothes. He'd been outside in the downpour for only a minute or two, but he was soaked and as night fell, it was getting colder. He shivered a bit and wrapped his arms around himself.

"You cold?" Taichi mumbled, sounding like he was on the verge of sleeping.

"N… no" Yamato stuttered, his teeth clattering.

Taichi sighed and motioned for him to come closer.

"C'mere", he mumbled.

"What?" Yamato squeaked and was immediately embarrassed by his high-pitched voice.

"I said come here. You'll never get warm over there by yourself. The only way to get warm is by body heat."

"But… but…"

"Oh, come on, I'm not gonna rape you or whatever, I promise."

Yamato was starting to believe that maybe Taichi was an unusually kind pirate. Then, on the other hand, the brunette could be acting, trying to gain his trust only to try to kill him later.

The cold made the decision for him and before he knew it, he was curled up against Taichi's side, much like a child would lie beside its mother.

"Now sleep" Taichi mumbled, slipping his arm under Yamato's neck and pulling him closer.

With his head on the other man's shoulder, and the heat of another body seeping through his wet clothes, Yamato felt his eyes close slowly as he fell into the deepest and most relaxed slumber of his life.

* * *

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	3. Of scars and thunder

**Branded variety**

**Summary: **What would it be like if Yamato was a priest and Taichi was a pirate? O.o

**AN: **It's cheesy, it's fluffy, it's silly, it's romantic… it's TAITO!

This is a short one. I just had to get this scene over with. Not that I don't like it; I just don't think it brings the story forward that much. But well, now it's done.

**Warnings: **Gayness, violence, language

Chapter 3: Of scars and thunder

Thunder woke him up. A deafening bang that caused both him and Taichi to jump to their feet.

They stood there for a few seconds, breathing heavily, and then Taichi laughed and sat down.

"Damn, that scared the shit out of me" he said as Yamato sat down next to him.

"Me too."

There was a moment of silence despite the heavy rain clattering on the roof. It was past midnight, but dawn was far away. This was the darkest and coldest part of night, but still Yamato felt calm, comfortable and warm. He suspected that it must have something to do with the young pirate sitting next to him.

Yamato glanced at Taichi, and for some reason, he couldn't stop his own hand as it reached out to caress one of the many tattoos covering Taichi's arms.

The brunette didn't move. He just looked at Yamato, his kind brown eyes gleaming in the semi darkness. Yamato himself watched his own hand move upwards, over the fabric, undoing the buttons of the shirt slowly.

Yamato was far from a virgin. This may seem strange, but was really not. Sexuality was a big part of a priest's life, and they were encouraged to honour the great Lords by having sex. So despite his innocence, he was very aware of what he was doing.

Taichi still didn't move. But as all the buttons were undone and the shirt was on its way off, he suddenly stiffened and swatted Yamato's hand away.

"Let's just sleep, okay?" he said.

"What's wrong?" Yamato asked, bewildered.

Taichi glanced at him and sighed.

"None of your business."

This only served to make the blonde more determined to find out what was wrong.

Taichi made a move to button up his shirt again, and as he did that, it momentarily slipped down from his shoulder. He quickly adjusted this, but a loud gasp made it quite clear that Yamato had seen it.

"What… what…" the priest stuttered.

"Nothing. Leave it", Taichi almost snorted.

"No."

The blond crawled towards him, and before Taichi could react, he yanked the shirt down.

Taichi's back was covered in long, thin, pale scars. They formed shrewd patterns from his shoulders down to the small of his back. _'Scars from a whip'_ Yamato thought with horror.

"What happened to you?" he whispered. "Who did this?"

Taichi looked very annoyed and uncomfortable, but somehow he sensed that the blonde wouldn't give up until he told him the truth. There was something with the urgency in those blue eyes that made him speak.

"I thought you'd figure it out for yourself", he sighed.

"Figure what out?"

"Well, you did talk about it earlier. I'm branded. No captured pirate can get away from prison untouched and alive."

"So you were in prison?"

Taichi glanced at him.

"Newsgate."

The priest stared at him with horror. Newsgate was the largest and most infamous prison in the whole country. The prisoners were all sentenced to death and spent their last weeks being tortured and interrogated.

"How… how is that possible? You should be dead!"

"Hammer got me out of there."

"How?"

"By force. Though they didn't need that much force after all. The guards recognised him and his men and didn't put up a fight. There is no man in this land who's not afraid of him."

Yamato blinked as his brain tried to grasp something. He thought that he vaguely recognised this story, but how could he? It was impossible.

Yamato looked at the brunette, who was frowning slightly, obviously lost in his thoughts. These newly developed feelings of fondness towards Taichi grew stronger and stronger. It didn't matter to Yamato that he barely knew him. It didn't matter that he was an outlaw. And it didn't matter that he was way stronger and more capable of defending himself than Yamato. All he wanted to do was to hug him. To protect him against a world that had been so cruel to him. And even though he didn't look like someone who needed protection, Yamato suspected that underneath those weapons and muscles and tattoos, there was a person who was actually very much in need of said protection.

And so, he crept closer and put his arms around Taichi's neck and held him tight.

The pirate tensed up and Yamato thought that maybe this was the first genuine hug he'd ever gotten.

"What are you doing?" he breathed, his voice shaking slightly.

"Giving you a hug", Yamato answered softly. "I thought you needed it."

"Really? Well, maybe you're right."

Taichi's arms wrapped around Yamato's waist and they stayed like that for a while, breathing in each other's scent.

The soft kiss that followed only seemed natural. It deepened, and it was only lack of oxygen that made them part lips.

"Are you sure about this?" Taichi asked, his voice low and his brown eyes burning with desire.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Yamato answered. "Since I met you, I decided that I need to stop judging people by appearance. Maybe you need to do the same?"

Taichi laughed, a wonderful melodic laugh that made Yamato's stomach tingle. And as they lay down in the hay, forgetting about everything but each other, lips clashing and hands wandering, the only sound to be heard in the forest was the rain that continued to pour down.

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	4. Of summer and tears

**Branded variety**

**Summary: **What would it be like if Yamato was a priest and Taichi was a pirate? O.o

**AN: **It's cheesy, it's fluffy, it's silly, it's romantic… it's TAITO!

New chapter, at last. I'm not completely pleased with this one, but whatever. Hope you'll enjoy it. Oh, and I know the chapter title is retarded, but it was the best I could come up with. I suck P

**Warnings: **Gayness, violence, language

Chapter 4: Of summer and tears

* * *

When Yamato woke up, the rain had stopped. The air was damp and cold, but golden sunrays hit the puddles of water outside the barn, causing bright reflexes that stung Yamato's eyes. He sat himself up, and realised that there was no warm body next to him. Disappointment hit him like a ton of bricks, but only for one second, because he suddenly spotted the brunette, sitting on the grass just outside the barn.

He stood up, gathered his robes and crept closer. Taichi was sitting very still, the sun caressing his face. He looked so innocent, Yamato thought, so very relaxed and… young. Like a teenaged boy and not the ravaging pirate he actually was.

Taichi must have heard his footsteps, because he opened his eyes and mumbled a soft 'good morning'.

"Good morning", Yamato answered and sat down next to him. Memories of the night were still very present, and Yamato could feel his entire body longing for the brunette's touch again.

But he couldn't stay. People were probably looking for him right now; in fact, it was pure luck that no one had found them during the night. The Temple wasn't far away, and now, when the rain had stopped, he knew that it was only a matter of hours before they found him.

"I have to go", he said reluctantly.

"I know", Taichi sighed.

"Will I ever see you again?" Yamato asked while cursing himself for the tears welling up in his eyes.

Taichi shrugged.

"I don't know," he said quietly. "I hope so though. You're quite a something, Yamato."

This made the priest blush, and Taichi laughed.

"I like you. You're not like anyone else I know", Yamato said, and he surely meant it.

Taichi didn't blush; he was probably not the type, Yamato concluded. Instead, he leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on Yamato's lips.

"So… will I ever see you again?" Yamato asked for the second time.

"Absolutely."

"Do you promise?"

"Of course I do. I don't know when I'm leaving, but probably not for another few weeks."

"Will you meet me here the day after tomorrow then?" Yamato asked hopefully.

"Deal" Taichi said with a wide smile.

Yamato returned to a Temple where every single priest was sick with worry. They had thought he was dead. Yamato explained how he had hid under a tree, and they believed him, but couldn't really understand why he had such a wide smile on his face. He told them that he was just happy to be home, and no matter how many times Mimi asked him what was up, he stuck to his story.

Two days later, Yamato and Taichi met as promised in the old barn. They spent the day walking through the forest. Yamato instructed a very eager Taichi about different edible plants, mushrooms and berries. And Taichi succeeded in engaging Yamato in a play fight with sticks, claiming that it was for his own best and that he needed to learn to defend himself. The fight turned into wrestling, and to no one's surprise the wrestling turned into kissing and the kissing led to other things, and soon they were both lying on the ground, sweaty and tired but very satisfied and content.

Every other day, they met in the forest. They talked a lot, played a lot and had lots of sex. It was the happiest time of Yamato's life. He was falling head over heels for the cheery, gorgeous, playful and yet so determined brunette, and somehow it felt like he had known him forever. Trying to picture a life without Taichi became increasingly harder. In the Temple, no one knew what was up with him. He was smiling and singing and reading poetry, or staring at the stars with such longing that it made the other priests wonder if he was losing his mind.

But all good things must come to an end. One evening, when Yamato reached the old barn, he immediately realised that something was wrong. Taichi was leaning against the wall, looking as if he'd seen a ghost.

"What's the matter?" Yamato asked as he got closer.

The pirate looked at him, and the look in those brown eyes told Yamato that he didn't want to hear what he was going to say.

"We received a message from Hammer today. We're leaving. I have to get back to the ship tonight, and then we're going to head north."

"North? How far?"

"I don't know. Far enough."

"But… for how long will you be gone?" Yamato whispered, fearing the worst.

"I don't know", Taichi sighed. "It may be weeks, months… maybe even years."

"Years?"

Taichi didn't answer. He was looking at the ground as if it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen.

"But…"

No more words came out of Yamato's mouth. A tear fell down his face as he realised that he might never see Taichi again.

The brunette still avoided his gaze. But as Yamato desperately reached out and touched his cheek, he suddenly gave in and wrapped his arms tightly around the blonde.

"I'm so sorry, Yamato", he whispered into his ear. "But I have to go."

"I know. But I wish you could stay."

Yamato couldn't resist any longer, and the tears began to flow freely down his face.

"I will be back" Taichi whispered. "Some day, I'll come back to you."

"Stay alive. Promise that you'll stay alive."

"Yamato…"

"Promise!"

"Okay, okay, I promise."

"Just tell me one thing", Yamato whispered as they parted. "Is Taichi your real name? Because I would like to know if any of the stories I'm told of captured or dead pirates concerns you."

Taichi suddenly looked very uncomfortable, which caused Yamato to frown.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"Well… Taichi is my given name. However, no pirate keeps his given name."

"So what do they call you then?"

"Rockhound."

Silence.

Yamato suddenly realised what had been stirring in his brain this whole time. He realised why he had recognised the story about Hammer rescuing Taichi from Newsgate.

"You… you…" he stuttered.

The blond shook his head and gathered his thoughts.

"The stories say that you're his son," he finally blurted out.

"Well, they're wrong. They're often wrong."

Many stories found their way into the Temple. Stories of knights, of distant countries, of fair princesses and of pirates. Hammer was a legend who figured in almost every pirate story. He was one of the three pirate lords ruling the Eastern Ocean. And in the stories of fierce battles and ravaging, another name that was always mentioned was Rockhound, Hammer's son, the youngest and most skilful of all.

Yamato stared a Taichi.

"It's impossible", he finally said.

"Why?"

"Because… because you're not like that at all. Are you?"

"Like what?"

"Those tales describe you as one of the most dangerous people in the country, on your way towards becoming the youngest pirate lord in history, people _fear_ you."

Taichi merely shrugged.

"My only natural talent", he joked.

But Yamato was in no mood for jokes.

"But you're not like that at all!" he protested.

"And you're not like a priest at all!" Taichi sighed. "You don't act as a priest around me, and yet, I'm fairly convinced that when you sit there watching your hangings or perform your rites to please the Lords, you're nothing like you are now. There can be more to people than meets the eye, Yamato, didn't you say so yourself last night? Just because I'm a pirate, that doesn't have to mean that I'm some sort of evil monster. And you're not a god just because you're a priest. Don't you agree?"

Yamato was quiet for a few seconds before nodding reluctantly.

"So", Taichi said quietly. "Do you hate me now?"

Yamato thought of all the things he had heard about this Rockhound, how he had single-handedly hijacked one of the kings ships, how he had burnt down the Hillside prison, how he had once kidnapped the general of the king's army.

And then he looked at Taichi, with the warm brown eyes and off-centre smile and melodic laugh, who was currently eyeing him expectantly. Small butterflies fluttered stubbornly in his stomach.

"How could I ever hate you?" Yamato whispered with a small smile, and Taichi laughed with relief and wrapped his arms around the blonde.

They stood there for a few minutes, and then the brunette broke free.

"I have to go", he said.

Yamato nodded quietly, trying desperately to ignore the ache in his heart.

"I love you", he whispered before he could stop himself.

Taichi froze. He stared at the priest for what felt like years before he answered.

"I love you too, Yamato. We'll meet again soon."

Yamato nodded again, took a deep breath and watched as Taichi turned around and walked away and disappeared among the trees with one last glance over his shoulder.

The best summer of his life slowly came to an end. As the trees lost their leaves and the flowers died, Yamato felt lonelier than he had ever felt in his entire life. The other priests noticed his sudden mood change, but couldn't get him to tell them what was wrong. He wasn't singing anymore. He spent most of his time standing in the highest tower of the Temple, gazing at the ocean. No one knew what he was looking for, but they decided to let him stay up there, because that was the only time he looked content. He performed his priest duties as usual, he was worshipped by the whole nation as usual, but there was a sadness about him that never quite disappeared. Even when he smiled at something Takeru told him or laughed with Mimi, the sadness shone through his eyes.

The weather grew colder, and still, there was no sign of a big black ship on the horizon. Yamato spent most of his days looking for that ship, but for every day he lost more hope. And as the first snow fell, he finally gave up and cried.


End file.
